Ideas to Increase Milk Production ...

I am so proud of you! Breastfeeding is hard on married, stay-at-home moms and you are doing it as a single, working mother.
I just wanted to add a few ideas. Do you carry a picture of you son for when you pump? It might help. As might some of his
clothes or a blanket that he has used. I have also heard of mothers recording their baby's cry. I know that when I was breastfeed I only had to hear a baby cry and my milk would start to flow. Loose fitting tops and bras are also important so you don't restrict milk production.
Keep up the good work.

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Drink fenugreek tea. The tea works better than the capsules. You can find it in bulk at most health food stores. Tastes a bit maple-ish.

I've heard a beer(such as a good ale) a day helps to, but have know experience with this.

K.

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I called the Breast Feeding Consultant at St. Johns & they suggested for me the herb FENUGREEK & take 3 pills- 3x a day. It worked for me. Try that or call the breast feeding consultant yourself & they can give you a lot of ideas!

Make sure you are not taking any antihistimines which will dry up the milk....

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First of all Congratulations on breastfeeding for 6 weeks. Like you, I was very concerned when I went back to work that I wouldn't be able to keep my production up either. Well, I'm very proud to say that after a lot of worrying I am still breastfeeding my 8 month old and still pumping once a day. I would recommend pumping on your babies schedule as best as you can. What I would do is nurse my baby at the babysitter's right before I left for work so that away it wasn't time to pump right as I walked in the door at work. Then I would pump 4 hours apart so it worked out to be around 11:00 am and 3:00 pm and then I would nurse my baby as soon as I got home from work. As much of the baby nursing as possible will help your production more than anything. Also, you MUST drink your water. I'm saying when you think you've drank enough, drink more. It is the number one thing for increasing milk supply. Also, you should have a electric double pump for as much as you'll be pumping. I have Medela's Original pump-in-style and it has worked wonderfully for me. When all else fails your doctor can prescribe a drug called Reglan which got me through a drought one time. I know how hard this can be but it can be done. Please message me if you would like to hear more from me. I love helping new moms on this subject b/c I had no one to really talk to about it or help me out so however I can help! Congratulations and best wishes.

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Hi M.....Congrats on your new little one!!! Yes life is a wonderful blessing. You are giving your little one a great start by breastfeeding!!! Your milk is a supply and demand sort of thing....the more you pump, the more milk will be supplied. If you can pump every 3 hours at work your production will increase. When my girls were younger I pumped every 3 hours and I stopped pumping when they were around 8 months old and had enough milk supply for them until they were 10 months old!!! Also make sure when you do pump more often you are drinking plenty of water....or non caffeine drinks!!! Good luck and God bless you!!! B. W from Illinois

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If you can afford it, I REALLY recommend renting a hospital grade pump for a month or two. I didn't think it would be much different than using my Pump in Style, but it was SO much better. It had a much less mechanical suction (more fluid than just on/off) and had 2 settings just like your baby-- softer/faster for before let-down and stronger/slower for you to switch to at let-down. This helped get more milk out because it was more like baby AND I was more relaxed (it was more comfortable). The BF consultant at your local hospital will probably also counsel you on other ways to increase your supply, such as adding one more pumping session a day (or night) at home and Fenugreek pills (I'm fairly certain the pills are more potent than the tea). Also, eating oatmeal for breakfast every day seemed to help me (I mix 1 flavored packet with one scoop of plain oatmeal).

ALSO-- the BF consultant told me that if I feel like my supply is dwindling, take baby to bed with you for 24 hrs and nurse as often as you can get him to. This makes your body think he's going through a growth spurt so it will increase production. Turn off the phone, let the dishes wait and just relax (this was my favorite way to increase my supply!)

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M.-

My little girl is 8 months old, and the last month or so I felt like my supply was dwindling. I recently bought some Yogi Tea for nursing moms at Whole Foods, and now I'm full as can be. I'm back to pumping 8 oz per session, where a few weeks ago I was lucky to get 3. I had been using the Traditional Medicinals Mother's Milk Tea, but the Yogi tea seems to be working much better.

I've also heard great things about Fenugreek (it's in the tea).

Good luck!

Yours in health-
Dr. Alyssa

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#1 - RELAX! I used to bring the lavendar baby wash to work to wash my hands & stuff before I'd start. It helped me relax & reminded me of why I was putting in all the effort.

#2 - Drink Plenty of water. Water makes Milk.

#3 - Don't get discouraged. I pumped 4 times a day when I first went back to work - 15 mins each. I'd only get 2-3 oz total each time at first, but after a few months it was more like 10-15 oz. I didn't have to suppliment until my daughter was about 10 months old.

Enjoy this time - it's over before you know it.

Congrats,
L.

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